FIT CHICKS

Every week, 'Fit Chicks' will highlight attire, tips, and (of course!) sneakers that make it perfect for you to get your sweat on in style. We’ll also hip you to some of our favorite weekend hang sessions and interactions with like-minded ladies because, we love showing love!

Let’s be honest: none of us have this figured out. So, before any of you think myself or Chan have come up with a magic balance formula allow me to save you the trouble: we haven’t. Learning how to negotiate our full-time jobs and the demands of “real life” is just as much a struggle for us as it is for you. Maintaining focus, excitement, drive, and achieving a certain level of “success” (whatever that looks like from your POV) is even more challenging when you’re building your own business from the ground up. How do you make sure you’re staying true to your vision AND stacking your coins? How do you separate professional time from personal time when the lines blur so easily? And is there really any down time for people who are running growing businesses?

We ask ourselves this constantly - it’s on a continuous loop in our minds. But, for the longest time, both of us lived in the land of worry. And, whenever we’d make the trip, you can bet one of two things happened: either we’d work ourselves to the bone and, often, get sick as a result OR we’d mess around and allow ourselves the slack off heavy all while calling it self-care. Basically, balance was not a strong suit. But, with growth comes different perspective and both of us have adopted a few things that help make our attempts at achieving balance a bit more realistic.

Say It Loud: BOUNDARIES

It’s easy to allow work to consume you, both physically and metaphorically, when you’re super caught up in just staying afloat. One thing we learned though is that setting boundaries is imperative to building a solid bridge between your present and your future. If that means you don’t take a work call or answer an email after 9pm, do it. If that means you don’t schedule meetings during a certain time of day in order to find a few minutes of peace, there is nothing wrong with that. Establishing what you will and will not allow in your space is absolutely necessary in the search for balance.

Practicing Actual Self-Care

Chan saw a quote a few weeks ago that read: “Sometimes self-care is adding a little bit more to your savings account.” This is so true! Recently, the idea of “self-care” has been more about pampering yourself than establishing a clear understanding of what you need in order to recharge and work more efficiently. Don’t get us wrong - we are firm believers in a manicure, a massage, or a Saturday Netflix binge on the couch to ease your stress. There is, however, a time when sometimes you have to do the things that you don’t necessarily want to do (i.e. putting more in your savings account so you can pay a photographer for your next blog post instead of buying that pair of sneakers) to set yourself up for a win. It feels a lot more like balance when you recognize that giving up something is really for your gain.

Like I said before, we still haven’t figured out an exact formula, but we know what has been working for us, individually, on a consistent basis. And, truthfully, as we evolve those needs will shift. How do you strive to attain balance? Anything you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.